Aubameyang, with the Barça training shirt. /
The new Barça striker assures that he is ready to debut on Sunday against Atlético and trusts in an agreement between his club and his friend Dembélé
Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang assured this Thursday, during his presentation as a new Barça player, that he is ready to help Xavi Hernández’s team from now on and make his debut in the league match between the Catalans and Atlético de Madrid on next Sunday at the Camp Nou.
He defined himself as “a matador” facing the rival goal and trusted that his friend Ousmane Dembélé, with whom he coincided at Borussia Dortmund, and the Barça entity will reach an agreement and close the conflict that now separates them: “Knowing Dembélé is a fantastic player and of course I would like him to stay here. I hope they find a solution, but I can’t decide for myself.”
“I’m going to give it my all. I have to thank the whole club. It’s an honor for me to be here and play for Barça,” said the former Arsenal striker before putting on his new team’s shirt and stepping onto the Camp Nou pitch. “I am a fast striker, a killer in front of goal, and I hope to help the team with my goals. I hope to score many for Barça”, he emphasized when defining himself.
He recognized the difficulties to leave Arsenal, where it did not end well with the Basque coach Mikel Arteta. “We waited until the last moment and it was difficult with Arsenal, but I’m here,” he said, referring to the last day of the market. After many hours of uncertainty, he managed to disassociate himself from the ‘Gunner’ club and, once with the freedom letter in hand, sign with Barça hours after the winter window closed.
He was asked about his family’s Madridista background and was surprised to say that his grandfather was a mattress maker. «My family is from Ávila, my grandfather was a big fan of Atlético and I said I was going to play for another club. My family is important and I think they think they are happy that I can play in LaLiga. Wherever I am, my grandfather will be happy to see me in Barça.”
The striker appeared before the media to sign the contract that unites him with Barça until 2025, although in 2023 there is an agreed exit option. His termination clause is 100 million euros. Although the first option was Álvaro Morata, who is still at Juventus and in the summer he will have to rejoin Atlético, a club that refused to give him up to a direct rival, Xavi highlights the Gabonese’s great top speed and scoring instinct. The African striker has scored more than 300 goals as a professional and is one of the most outstanding strikers of the last decade.
